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The archbishop of St. Paul and
Minneapolis says he believes it's "misguided and unfair" to
suggest Pope Benedict XVI was involved in attempts to conceal
sexual abuse by Catholic priests.

In his weekly column in the archdiocese's newspaper, the Rev.
John Nienstedt writes that prior to becoming pope, then-Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger was a leader in getting to the bottom of the
crisis and helping American church leaders after a wave of abuse
scandals.

Nienstedt writes that sexual molestation is indefensible. He
says "the Catholic Church in this country has worked harder than
any other organization ... to put into place measures to protect
young people."

Critics of the church's handling of abuse cases cite Benedict's
tenure as head of the Vatican office charged with disciplining
clergy. Critics claim the office halted a mid-1990s investigation
into a Wisconsin priest accused of molesting some 200 deaf boys.